Text Messaging Canadians Sent An Average 2,500 Texts Every Second In 2011, Total Of 78 Billion

TORONTO - In news that probably won't surprise parents of text-obsessed teenagers, Canadians sent an average of almost 2,500 SMS messages every second last year, for a total of about 78 billion.

That figure was up almost 40 per cent from 2010, when the texting tally hit 56.4 billion messages.

The numbers were compiled by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, which also said the number of sent MMS messages — which include pictures, video or audio — hit 326.7 million last year.

Canadians also sent and received 2.8 billion short code text messages in 2011, which are typically used for commercial and charity purposes.

The number of personal text messages sent every year has nearly quadrupled since 2008 and is up nearly 20 times over 2006's total of 4.3 billion.